Petunia plant named ‘Red MP101’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant named ‘Red MP101’, characterized by its compact, outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit; relatively short internodes; dense and bushy growth habit; freely branching habit; small leaf size; and numerous small red-colored flowers.

Botanical classification: Petunia×hybrida cultivar Red MP101.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petuniaplant, botanically known as Petunia×hybrida, and hereinafter referred toby the cultivar name Red MP101.

The new Petunia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Cobbitty, New South Wales, Australia. The objective ofthe breeding program is to create outwardly spreading Petunias withnumerous small flowers with attractive flower colors.

The new Petunia originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventorduring the spring of 2000 of a proprietary Petunia selection identifiedas X00.120, not patented, as the female, or seed parent, with aproprietary Petunia selection identified as X00.167, not patented, asthe male, or pollen parent. The new Petunia was selected as a singleplant from the resulting progeny of the cross-pollination by theInventor in 2000, in Cobbitty, New South Wales, Australia, on the basisof its outwardly spreading habit and numerous small red-colored flowers.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by vegetative cuttings taken inCobbitty, New South Wales, Australia since 2000 has shown that theunique features of this new Petunia are stable and reproduced true totype in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Red MP101 have not been observed under allpossible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature and light intensitywithout, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Red MP101’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Red MP101’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Compact, outwardly spreading and mounded plant habit.

2. Relatively short internodes, dense and bushy growth habit.

3. Freely branching habit.

4. Small leaf size.

5. Numerous small red-colored flowers.

Plants of the new Petunia and the female parent differ in flower coloras plants of the female parent have dark pink-colored flowers. Comparedto plants of the male parent, plants of the new Petunia have smallerleaves and smaller flowers.

Plants of the new Petunia can be compared to plants of the cultivarDancasred, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons conducted inCobbitty, New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Petunia differedfrom plants of the cultivar Dancasred in the following characteristics:

1. Plants of the new Petunia had shorter internodes than plants of thecultivar Dancasred.

2. Flowers of plants of the new Petunia had smaller leaves than plantsof the cultivar Dancasred.

3. Plants of the new Petunia had smaller flowers than plants of thecultivar Dancasred.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Petunia.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof a typical flowering plant of ‘Red MP101’ grown in a container.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view oftypical leaves and flowers of ‘Red MP101’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations andmeasurements describe plants grown in Lompoc, Calif., under commercialpractice during the winter and spring in a polycarbonate-coveredgreenhouse with day temperatures about 18 to 24° C., night temperaturesabout 16 to 18° C. and light levels about 4,000 to 8,000 foot-candles.Plants were grown with one rooted cutting per 10-cm container for about11 weeks. In the following description, color references are made to TheRoyal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 1995 Edition, except wheregeneral terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

Botanical classification: Petunia×hybrida cultivar Red MP101.

Parentage:

Female parent.—Proprietary Petunia selection identified as X00.120, notpatented.

Male parent.—Proprietary Petunia selection identified as X00.167, notpatented.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Vegetative cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—About 14 days at 22° C.

Time to develop roots.—About 28 days at 22° C.

Root description.—Fine, fibrous, whitish in color.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching, dense.

Plant description:

Form.—Annual flowering plant; indeterminate; compact; initially upright,then outwardly spreading and mounded; plants eventually becominghemispherical in shape. Vigorous growth habit. Freely basal branchingwith about eight main lateral branches per plant with lateral branchespotentially forming at every node.

Usage.—Appropriate for hanging baskets, window boxes, patio containersand landscape applications.

Plant height.—About 12 cm.

Plant diameter.—About 32 cm.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 14 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Internodelength, vegetative shoots: About 1 cm. Internode length, floweringshoots: About 1.5 to 2 cm. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 144C.

Foliage description.—Arrangement, before flowering: Alternate, simple.Arrangement, when flowering: Opposite, simple. Length: About 3 cm.Width: About 1.5 cm. Shape: Elliptical. Apex: Broadly acute. Base:Attenuate. Margin: Entire. Texture: Glandular, viscid; pubescent.Venation pattern: Pinnate. Color: Developing and fully expanded foliage,upper surface: 146A. Developing and fully expanded foliage, lowersurface: 146B. Venation, upper surface: 146C. Venation, lower surface:146D. Petiole length: About 4 mm. Petiole diameter: About 2 mm. Petiolecolor: 144C.

Flower description:

Flower type and habit.—Small salverform flowers; flowers face mostlyupward or outward; single, axillary. Flowers persistent. Freelyflowering, typically more than 200 open flowers and flower buds perplant.

Natural flowering season.—Long day responsive; spring until frost in theautumn; flowering continuous during the flowering period.

Flower longevity on the plant.—About seven to ten days.

Fragrance.—None detected.

Flower size.—Diameter: About 3 cm. Tube length: About 3 cm. Throatdiameter, distal end: About 8 mm. Tube diameter, proximal end: About 2.5mm.

Flower buds.—Length: About 2 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm. Shape: Elongatedoblong with ruffled apices. Color: 195B.

Corolla.—Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five petals, fused intoflared trumpet with distinct clefts between petal lobes. Petal lengthfrom throat: About 1.3 to 1.5 cm. Petal width: About 1.7 cm. Petalshape: Roughly fan-shaped or obovate. Petal apex: Slightly emarginate.Petal margin: Entire; slightly sinuate. Petal texture, upper and lowersurfaces: Smooth, velvety. Color: Petal, upper surface, when opening:46A. Petal, lower surface, when opening: More gray than 186C. Petal,upper surface, fully opened: Slightly darker or more crimson than 45A;color becoming closer to 50A with 185D towards the margins withdevelopment. Petal, lower surface, fully opened: More gray than 50D.Flower throat (inside): 196C to 196D. Flower tube (outside): 196A.Venation, upper petal surface: 46A. Venation, lower petal surface: 50D.Venation, throat: 187B. Venation, tube: 146D.

Sepals.—Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five sepals fused atbase, star-shaped. Length: About 1 cm. Width: About 2 mm. Shape:Ligulate. Apex: Broadly acute to rounded. Margin: Entire. Texture, bothsurfaces: Glandular; pubescent. Color, upper and lower surfaces: 146A.

Peduncles.—Length: About 3.7 cm. Width: About 1.25 mm. Angle: About 45°to the stem. Strength: Strong; wiry. Texture: Pubescent. Color: 144B.

Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity/arrangement: Five, adnate tocorolla tube. Anther shape: Ovoid. Anther length: Less than 1 mm. Anthercolor: 158A. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: 158C. Pistils:Quantity: One. Pistil length: About 1.1 cm. Stigma shape: Anvil-shaped.Stigma color: 144B. Style length: About 8 mm. Style color: 144D. Ovarycolor: 144A.

Fruit/seed.—Fruit and seed production has not been observed.

Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Petunia have not beenobserved to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Petunia.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant named‘Red MP101’, as illustrated and described.